In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia's speech change at church and what does Lee illustrate with this?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia is one of the fortunate African Americans in Maycomb County in that she is able to read.  She also works for Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single father who treats Calpurnia as if she was one of the family.  As such, she speaks much like the members of the Finch family when she is there.  However, while she is with the members of her own community, Calpurnia uses the dialect of her people so that she will be more readily accepted.  She does not want her people, especially members of her church, to think that she is under the impression that she is better than them because of the way they speak.  It is a matter of assimilation on Calpurnia's part so that she will be accepted in both communities.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia's speech change at church and what does Lee illustrate with this?

There's an old proverb, stemming from the Bible, that says, "When with the Romans, do as the Romans do". This is the basic premise behind Calpurnia's explanation for why she speaks differently when she is at her church than when she is at the children's home. Calpurnia explains that she doesn't want to seem like she is "puttin' on airs", so she changes her speech to fit into her surroundings. She goes on to explain to Scout that you can't change people or teach them unless they want to change. If people don't want to change, then you have to do whatever you can to fit in with them when you are with them. Lee is doing the same thing here that she does with Atticus's character. Atticus is very laid back and accepting of other people. He doesn't perceive himself as better than others in the town even though he is an educated and talented lawyer. Calpurnia acts in the same manner. Lee shows how differences between people really boil down to minor issues that we should tolerate and adjust to in order to maintain peace and community.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia's speech change at church and what does Lee illustrate with this?

Calpurnia speaks differently in her church to because it would "aggravate" the people there if she spoke the way she does among white people - members would think she was "putting on airs", trying to act better than them (Chapter 12).  With this switch, Lee is illustrating the social climate in the 1950's South, and the dual role black people had to play in navigating the vast chasm separating the white and black worlds.  Calpurnia has to act a certain way to be accepted by white people - she must conform as closely as possible to their language norms and be proper and subservient.  When she is with members of her own race, however, she must speak as they do.  The villification from both sides that Calpurnia faces if she deviates from the respective norms is illustrative not only of the divisions between the races but of the antagonism and resentment between them as well.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia speak differently in the Finch household than she speaks among neighbors at church?

The children notice the difference in Calpurnia's speech at church and ask her about it when they are walking home. Cal says, "Well in the first place I'm black--," but this isn't a sufficient explanation for Jem who protests that she doesn't have to talk "that way" because she knows better. Cal continues that if she spoke differently from her friends at church "They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses."

Scout still doesn't understand: "But Cal, you know better." To this, Calpurnia replies in a way that shows her character and wisdom:

It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike--in the second place, folks don't like to have somebody around knowin' more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not gonna change any of them by talkin' right, they've got to want to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.

Going to church with Calpurnia made Scout aware for the first time that Cal "led a modest double life" and, also, that she had taught her son Zeebo to read from the two books she owned, the Bible and a copy of Blackstone's Commentaries, once given to her by Scout's Grandfather Finch. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia speak differently in the Finch household than she speaks among neighbors at church?

It is interesting that even now, in the 21st century, people switch codes depending on who they are speaking with, and it's not just blacks who do this, although they might be the most noticeable examples. Remember the presidential primaries when Hillary Clinton was in the South and the commentators pointed out her tendency to drawl when she was speaking to Southern audiences. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia speak differently in the Finch household than she speaks among neighbors at church?

Calpurnia is "bilingual." She speaks the black dialect when she is among neighbors and friends, and Standard English when she is working for her white employer. Will Smith had a very interesting interview a few years back in Vanity Fair in which he described himself as bilingual because he speaks Standard English in business settings and black dialect among his family and friends. He said that he is teaching his children to do the same thing.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia speak differently in the Finch household than she speaks among neighbors at church?

In my opinion, the answer for To Kill a Mockingbird's Calpurnia would be the same as the answer for absolutely anyone in our society (even today).  All of us behave differently in our workplace than we do at our church or at social gatherings, as they have very different implications.  Calpurnia also has the additional "job" of being a mother-figure in the Finch household.  The wonderful thing about Calpurnia is that no matter where she hangs her hat, she is always respectful.  What a credit to dear Calpurnia!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Calpurnia speak differently in the Finch household than she speaks among neighbors at church?

What Calipurnia does is sometimes referred to as "code-switching."  Our brains are designed so that we  adjust our speech to be closer to the speech of the person we are talking to, and often do so without even thinking about it.  This makes communication better for everyone because it is easier to speak to someone who uses the same words, expressions, accent, and so on.  If two speakers make these little adjustments, each is trying to communicate better and usually both are more successful.  As Ms. Charleston pointed out, we do not speak in exactly the same way to everyone we encounter.  I do not speak the same way to my students as I do to my husband or children, for example, or the same way I speak to someone next to me on the bus. You may notice that some people do not make these little adjustments, and that they do not communicate very effectively.  Have you ever had a speaker at your school whom you felt was just not speaking your language?  There is a good reason for your feeling that way - he or she was not speaking your language!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Jem notice about the way Calpurnia speaks at church?

In Chapter 12, Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to First Purchase African M. E. Church. It is the first time the children visited an African American church, and they gain valuable insight into the black community of Maycomb. Later on the chapter, Calpurnia explains how she taught her son Zeebo to read using Blackstone's Commentaries. Jem is awestruck because Blackstone's Commentaries is a very challenging book to read. He says to Calpurnia, "That's why you don't talk like the rest of 'em...Rest of the colored folks. Cal, but you talked like they did in church..." (Lee 167) Jem and Scout both notice that Calpurnia speaks differently around her community members. Calpurnia speaks informally and uses a Southern African American dialect that is typical of that region during the early 1900's. Scout mentions that Calpurnia lived a "modest double life" and has "command of two languages." Calpurnia explains to the children that if she talked formally then her neighbors would think she was "puttin' on airs to beat Moses." (Lee 167) Calpurnia tells Scout that it's not lady-like to tell people all you know, and that people don't like being around others who know more than they do. Scout and Jem learn important lessons in manners and human relations on their visit to Calpurnia's church. 

Why does Calpurnia change her speech at the Finch residence and church in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Towards the end of Chapter 12, Calpurnia explains to the children that she taught Zeebo, her son, how to read using Blackstone's Commentaries. Jem then mentions that reading Blackstone must be the reason Calpurnia doesn't talk like the other African Americans in the community when she is in their home. Jem tells Cal that he noticed she talked like many of the other black people do when she was in church. Scout then asks Cal why she speaks "nigger-talk" when she knows that it isn't right. Calpurnia explains to the children that she is simply trying to fit in. She says if she "talked white-folks' talk in church" her neighbors would think she was "puttin' on airs to beat Moses" (77). Cal then tells Scout that sometimes it is best not to tell people everything you know because it aggravates them. Calpurnia doesn't want her community members to think she is trying to impress them by using correct language and doesn't want to come off as arrogant.

Why does Calpurnia change her speech at the Finch residence and church in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Calpurnia explains to the children that at the African M.E. Church she assumes the dialect of the community because she does not want the others to think that she is trying to act superior--"puttin on airs"--to them.

Just as there is a division according to social class among white people--a 'caste system' as Aunt Alexandra terms it--there has been a division among the African-Americans that began during the days of slavery. (The field slaves were perceived by the house slaves as "beneath them.") So, since Calpurnia works for an upper class white man, some of the black community who do field work or other manual labor may view Calpurnia as thinking she is above them if she does not speak as they do.

Because of this social division, Calpurnia explains that if she speaks standard English, the members may feel that she is speaking "white-folks talk" as she does in the Finch home. Further, she says that she cannot change any of the church members by speaking in standard English, anyway:

"...they've got to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn, there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language."

What does Scout find unusual about Calpurnia's manner of speaking at the Negro church in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In truth, Scout has probably never really thought of Calpurnia as being a real "Negro" until she accompanies her to the First Purchase African Methodist Episcopalian Church on the other side of town one Sunday. For Calpurnia has always been an integral part of the Finch home and a surrogate mother for the children; furthermore, she has always spoken just as the Finches do.

Now, at a poor church that has no ceiling or hymn books, Calpurnia speaks as though she were one of these poor people of color. She even bristles and challenges the tall Lula in a bellicose manner. Seeing Calpurnia in this setting causes Scout to bridge the two areas in her mind, whereas before the black section had been a strange world into which no one she has ever known has entered other than her father. Certainly, it is an important moment in Scout's and Jem's maturation.

This experience on the other side of town enables Jem and Scout to perceive not only Cal in a new light, but also the community of people of color. Such new perceptions of Scout give her an understanding and sympathy for these people. When the music begins, Scout listens as

...the people chimed in, and the music swelled all around every corner: "And we only reach that shore by faith's degrees...." 

Jem and Scout have attained a "new grace," the grace to see and appreciate where Calpurnia's relatives and friends live. Also, from Cal they have learned "...that it is not necessary to tell everything you know."

What does Scout find unusual about Calpurnia's manner of speaking at the Negro church in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The passages you are looking for are in chapter 12, when Cal brings Jem and Scout to her church.  When Calpurnia is at their house, she speaks "normal", or at least, like other white southerners in the city of Maycomb.  But when they all get to the church, and Calpurnia is around other black people, Cal starts speaking the Negro dialect again.  This startles Scout, and opens her up to the fact that Cal might be more than just their housekeeper; she might actually live a real life outside of when Scout sees her.  Scout thinks to herself,

"That Calurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me.  THe idea that she had a separate existence outside our household was a novel one, to say nothing of her having command of two languages."

So, Scout is impressed that Cal has a life outside their home, AND that she can speak 2 langauges so well.  It isn't really two languages, but she feels like it might as well be.  At the church, Cal slipped back into the Negro dialect, and Scout found it unusual that she did so, but it led to a rounding out of Cal's character for her.

How does Calpurnia's speech change at church among other African Americans in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem’s mother died when Scout was little. The two children live with their father, Atticus Finch, and their cook, Calpurnia, takes care of them. When Calpurnia takes the children to church with her one Sunday, they notice a marked difference in the way that Calpurnia talks to the other people at church compared to how she speaks to Jem and Scout and other people in the Finch’s neighborhood.

Before the scene at the church, the author makes it clear that when they are at the Finch’s home, Calpurnia’s speech patterns are very similar to those of Scout and Jem. For instance, Scout observes about Calpurnia that, “When in tranquility, her grammar was as good as anybody’s in Maycomb. Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most colored folks.”

However, Calpurnia’s speech patterns are different in church, in terms of both her tone and her diction. In one case, she speaks somewhat contemptuously to one woman. Her diction is clearly different when she speaks to the other church-goers, as well. Specifically, when one of the women, Lula, approaches Calpurnia to ask why she brought Jem and Scout with her to church. Calpurnia responds:

“What you want, Lula?” she asked, in tones I had never heard her use. She spoke quietly, contemptuously.”

Calpurnia tells Lula, “They’s my comp’ny,” said Calpurnia. Again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them.” Then, Jem tells Calpurnia that generally:

“you don’t talk like the rest of ‘em.”

“The rest of who?”

“Rest of the colored folks. Cal, but you talked like they did in church…”

When they ask Cal why she spoke that way at church, she replies that she does not want to flaunt her superior education to her friends at church. In fact, the children are even more surprised to learn that Calpurnia is one of only four people at the church who can read.

Calpurnia says:

“Well, in the first place I’m black—…Now what if I talked white-folks’ talk at church, and with my neighbors? They’d think I was puttin‘ on airs to beat Moses.”